For the first time in months some buzz will finally start to surround the Notre Dame men's basketball program. After a lost summer in 2020, Notre Dame's highly touted 2018 class will have one last shot to mesh and get better together before (potentially) their last run together. The nucleus of this year's team will be similar to what it was in early March when the Irish were sent packing, but the most exciting part of each summer is seeing Notre Dame's newest additions as a part of the program for the first time.
Next week, Mike Brey will finally have his two hometown guys in Blake Wesley and JR Konieczny on campus. Both live within a short drive of campus and have been on official visits in the last month, so seeing them around won't be anything new. However, Brey has reportedly had an eye on the two South Bend stars since their middle school days, so finally having them as a part of the program is somewhat surreal. Throughout the summer both top 150 recruits will look to put on weight, adjust to the college game, and lock down a rotation spot.
Notre Dame's new additions aren't just limited to their two local prospects, the Irish will also add former Ivy league player of the year in Paul Atkinson JR. The 6'10 big man will fill in at the 5 and will prepare to contribute immediately as a starter. The Notre Dame staff also added walk on Alex Wade in a less heralded move, the freshman guard likely won't be in consideration for a rotation spot but will have a chance to show off his defensive intensity that the Irish have desperately been lacking.
All of Notre Dame's new additions and returning talent will make for an interesting summer, so here are the top 5 storylines surrounding the Irish.
The Competition for the back end of the rotation
Recently, small rotations and a lack of depth has been a staple of Mike Brey led teams, however this year's group has the potential to be an outlier. Just going off of bodies this group will be much deeper than in years past. The Irish have all but one scholarship filled and two walk ons on the roster, you'd have to go years back to find a team with this many bodies. Mike Brey isn't Leonard Hamilton though, the Irish likely won't go 10 or 11 deep anytime soon. As a result, a competition for the last two or three rotation spots will be something to monitor over the summer.
Notre Dame's starters and first man off the bench are all but set in Prentiss Hubb, Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Paul Atkinson, and Trey Wertz, but after that is where things get interesting. After the top six there are a few spots up for grabs, it's unclear whether Brey will go with a seven, eight, or nine man rotation, but in any scenario a talented young player will be left out. Blake Wesley, JR Konieczny, Elijah Taylor, Matt Zona, Robby Carmody, Tony Sanders JR, Alex Wade, and Elijah Morgan will all compete for the spots. One to three of the players listed could earn a spot, leaving at least five young players with no guaranteed minutes. Each has a compelling argument and their time to prove themselves starts next week.
Robby Carmody's health
At this point Robby Carmody's expectations shouldn't be anywhere near where they were when he first arrived on campus in 2018, but this summer will give the wing another shot to earn some playing time and to prove he can still provide some value to the team.
It's yet to be seen how much the 6'4 guard still has in the tank athletically, after a few knee injuries Carmody may be similar to Rex Pflueger post ACL surgery in terms of athleticism. This summer could very well be the start the transition of Carmody's game from a high energy, freak athlete to a crafty defensive specialist.
With the influx of talent on the wing, Notre Dame is no longer dependent on Carmody becoming a contributor, but the former top 100 recruit will be in the mix for a rotation spot. The next few months summer will be an opportunity to see if Carmody still has "it".
Can Notre Dame's guards Develop Chemistry and learn to coexist?
There's no doubt that Notre Dame's backcourt has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC, but this season, they (particular Trey Wertz and Cormac Ryan) never seemed to completely mesh. Part of the problem with having Wertz and Ryan on the floor at the same time is that their play styles are so similar. Another big reason for their struggles at times is that they've never had a full offseason together to learn how to play with each other. Cormac Ryan missed out on a full summer program before his first season at Notre Dame and Trey Wertz was thrown into the fire midseason without a chance for him or his teammates to adjust to having another ball handler and shot creator on the floor.
Wertz' dad said it best in early March " The guys are gonna learn to play together cause you got two important pieces in Cormac And Trey that really didn't have a chance to mesh (particularly Trey) with the team." Wertz added that " This summer they'll have a whole summer to work out and to get to know each other."
Like Matt Painter said, it's tough to get everyone going when you have four shooters on the floor, but having this group together for the summer can definitely help in that regard.
Notre Dame's Quest to Find a Defensive Identity
Arguably the biggest reason for Notre Dame's struggles in 2020-21 was their inability to get stops for long stretches of time. Mike Brey tried 2-3 zones, 1-3-1 zones, and man. The adjustments worked for small stretches early in non-conference play and against low level ACC teams, but for the mostpart Notre Dame's defense was the reason they couldn't consistently win games in conference play. When it was all said and done Notre Dame ranked 7th in the country in offensive efficiency and 140th in defensive efficiency. (torvik)
It's clear that Mike Brey wasn't deaf to this as he went out and brought former Irish staff member Anthony Solomon back on staff. Solomon is now in his third stint on Mike Brey's coaching staff, since his last departure the Irish haven't been out of the second round of the NCAA tournament. The new Notre Dame assistant has helped to develop some of Notre Dame's high level guards like Demetrius Jackson and Jerian Grant. Not only did Solomon help key members of those teams individually, but he instilled a toughness and edge on the defensive end in them that Notre Dame has lacked recently.
Solomon will likely serve as Notre Dame's "defensive coordinator" and his duties will begin this summer. Notre Dame's roster has plenty of capable defenders on the perimeter and even ones with untapped potential but they haven't been a good defensive group for more than a few games at a time. That's where Solomon comes in, Brey has essentially trusted him with things on the defensive side and this summer will be a chance for him to instill a toughness and defensive identity in his group.
How Will ND's New Additions fit in
Mike Brey loves to have his teams "get old and stay old" and the 2021-22 team fits that bill. The Irish will return the fourth largest percentage of their 2020-21 minutes out of any team in the country. To go along with his veteran core, Brey added some exciting new pieces like Paul Atkinson JR, Blake Wesley, JR Konieczny, and Alex Wade. The Irish are also hopeful to get contributions from Robby Carmody and Elijah Taylor for the first time as they return from injury.
All three of Notre Dame's newcomers who are on scholarship were number one options in their last seasons played. Obviously though, when they arrive at Notre Dame they will have to adjust to playing alongside other high major caliber players. Konieczny, Wesley, and Atkinson JR are all well equipped to make the transition because of their experience playing on high level AAU teams and in Atkinson's case with other players who transferred to high major programs.
If all goes well with the summer program the transition won't be noticeable, but all four of Notre Dame's new addition will take a big step up next week.
This summer will be the start to an important year for Mike Brey and his team, what happens over the next few months will quietly dictate the early months of the season.
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